Reviews & features: Kids

Hitlist: Kids

The Echo Chamber and We All Fall Down Two top notch shows from En Masse Theatre. Journey down into the dark, damp vaults beneath Edinburgh’s Old Town in The Echo Chamber or learn about the colourful characters in two plague-ridden villages in We All…

Kids events

Getting arty and yucky, all in the same week

If you suffer from Crayola on the carpet and finger-painted furniture, The Big Picture Event (24 Aug) should be the destination of choice for your little ‘uns. Chairman and Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen leads an exquisite event of drawing and…

Russian Play

These happy looking ladies are even jollier in the flesh. Journeying all the way from Russia, they deliver a joy-filled hour of song, dance and a whole lot of audience participation. Dressed in beautiful national costumes, the seven female performers…

We All Fall Down

Playing with the Plague

Who'd have thought the Black Death could be so much fun? Or that a tale with such a strong moral heart could be so full of laughs and silliness? The story of two 17th century villages both blighted with the plague, the show explores the selfish and…

Painting Music Workshop

The art of sound

There are several enjoyable aspects to this imaginative workshop, but the best one is the gift that keeps on giving. In just 40 minutes, Rhuti Carr and her musical cohorts give you a new skill that will stay with you for life. Gathered around a giant…

Potted Pirates

Hilarity on the high seas

Sensible pirate devotee Jeff just wants to give a serious, educational lecture about famous pirates. His crewmate Dan, while also a fellow fan of all things swashbuckling, has a different approach. An enthusiast of the Jack Sparrow variety of privateer…

Kids Events

When Miranda Richardson so memorably played the child-like Queen Elizabeth I in Blackadder, a career in entertaining kids seemed to be in the offing. With Horrid Henry (16 Aug) she appears to have finally grasped that opportunity by voicing the little…

No Place for Dreams

Don't wake the volcano

Brief Candle Theatre makes its Fringe debut with No Place For Dreams, a show by Paul Whitfield that boasts a lot of energy, but is altogether too austere. On a volcanic island filled with Spray-Riders, Wind-Eaters and Fire and Soil people, we meet Loam…

Visualise Reloaded

Technoclowns inspire again

Following last year's Visualise show, Science Made Simple duo, Debbie Sirop and Gareth Smith illuminate young minds once again with Visualise: Reloaded, an entertaining blend of physical theatre and scientific exploration. Against a highly energetic…

I Can't Sleep by David O'Doherty

No cure for insomnia

Next time you find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night, desperately trying to think of ways to make yourself tired, try taking a few leaves out of David O'Doherty's self-help manual for insomniacs. Rule number one: counting sheep is just…

Finding Alice

Through the looking-glass and beyond

There are four children's shows at the Fringe about Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, so fans of the fairytale have their pick. First-time playwright, Ben Harrison and Single Leaf productions present Finding Alice, an entertaining mix of live music…

5 Questions - Koko the Crocodile

African folktales, sing-a-long songs and a poorly crocodile all feature in Mara Menzies' show, Koko the Crocodile. But right now, she's answering our five questions.

James Campbell's Shut Up Stupid

Scatalogical comedy with scenes of mild peril

James Campbell's latest offering calls itself a 'black experimental comedy', and you'd be right for wondering if this is suitable for children. Much effort has gone into scripting the warped chronology and fourth-wall antics of the plot, but they're…

Heartbreak Soup

Two little boys…

Cuddy is lying on a hospital bed, waiting. For what, we don't know, but as the play unfolds a heartbreaking story emerges of a childhood led in slow motion, due to a congenital heart defect. Which all sounds very serious and tragic - and is, of course…

Andrew Clover's Crazy Kids' Show

Stand-up stories

A successful stand-up comedian and novelist, Andrew Clover fuses both talents in his enjoyable new kids show. Essentially an hour of improvised storytelling, Clover draws heavily on the vivid imagination of his young audience. As such, the children are…

The Greatest Bubble Show on Earth

As this young man will no doubt testify, there's nothing quite like standing inside a giant bubble. Experience this, and many other eye-popping shenanigans, when the Amazing Bubble Man dips his assortment of objects into washing up liquid and starts…

The Echo Chamber

Underground antics

Part history lesson, part scary story, this atmospheric show from En Masse Theatre is a great way to start your Fringe day. Descending down into the bowels of Edinburgh, you find yourself in one of the many caverns and passageways that run beneath the…

5 Questions - Leon Conrad

5 things you think good children’s theatre should do: Make it magical – make it funny – make it witty – make it fun; and make it pretty difficult for people not to lose themselves in the story. 4 reasons why people should come to Aesop The Storyteller…

The Mozart Question

One man's moving memories

Putting a target age range on a show's publicity material never guarantees who you'll find in the audience. But when the producers of The Mozart Question say suitable for ages 8+, you really ought to listen to them - because this is not a show for…

Let The Earth Breathe

Music with a message

When it comes to being environmentally friendly, people are full of good intentions. But few of us follow through quite so impressively as the Kenodeke Arts Collective. Their new show, Let The Earth Breathe not only sends out a positive message about…

Misterstourworm and the Kelpie's Gift

Myths, music and monsters

If you were under the impression that the Scottish islands were formed by glaciers during the ice age, then think again. They're actually the humps and bumps of an ancient monster who curled his way around Scotland. Or at least that's what we're told in…

Animal Olympics

Astrological antics

Quirky and educational, Animal Olympics explores how Chinese astrology began. Francesca Beard, known for her performance poetry, puts a lot of energy into portraying the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac as curious individuals. After slipping on her…